Since the late 1990s security has been a hotly debated topic in France. The problem of juvenile delinquents is exemplary in this context. A leitmotiv emerges: responsibility. But responsibility does not mean accountability. The psychic position and motivation of an adolescent has to be taken into account. After a brief presentation of the social, judicial and psychological issues around the concept of responsibility, an example of clinical interview with a teenager illustrates the conditions for the emergence of accountability and allows us to reflect on the clinical position and the possible strategies for professionals who ensure the educational and socio-judicial monitoring of adolescents, or the therapeutic work with them.